The private sector's involvement in public policy: Issues and strategies

Lee, R. H.; Bendixen, M. T.; Su he land, M. M. A icle The p i a e sec o 's in ol emen in public policy: Issues and s a egies Sou h A ican Jou nal o Business Managemen P o ided in Coope a ion wi h: Uni e si y o S ellenbosch Business School (USB), Bell ille, Sou h A ica Sugges ed Ci a ion: Lee, R. H.; Bendixen, M. T.; Su he land, M. M. (1992) : The p i a e sec o 's in ol emen in public policy: Issues and s a egies, Sou h A ican Jou nal o Business Managemen , ISSN 2078-5976, A ican Online Scien i ic In o ma ion Sys ems (AOSIS), Cape Town, Vol. 23, Iss. 3/4, pp. 90-101, h ps://doi.o g/10.4102/sajbm. 23i3/4.891 This Ve sion is a ailable a : h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/218089 S anda d-Nu zungsbedingungen: Die Dokumen e au EconS o dü en zu eigenen wissenscha lichen Zwecken und zum P i a geb auch gespeiche und kopie we den. Sie dü en die Dokumen e nich ü ö en liche ode komme zielle Zwecke e iel äl igen, ö en lich auss ellen, ö en lich zugänglich machen, e eiben ode ande wei ig nu zen. So e n die Ve asse die Dokumen e un e Open-Con en -Lizenzen (insbesonde e CC-Lizenzen) zu Ve ügung ges ell haben soll en, gel en abweichend on diesen Nu zungsbedingungen die in de do genann en Lizenz gewäh en Nu zungs ech e. Te ms o use: Documen s in EconS o may be sa ed and copied o you pe sonal and schola ly pu poses. You a e no o copy documen s o public o comme cial pu poses, o exhibi he documen s publicly, o make hem publicly a ailable on he in e ne , o o dis ibu e o o he wise use he documen s in public. I he documen s ha e been made a ailable unde an Open Con en Licence (especially C ea i e Commons Licences), you may exe cise u he usage igh s as speci ied in he indica ed licence. h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/ 90 S.-A .Tydsk .Bed y sl.1992,23(3/4) The p i a e sec o 's in ol emen in public policy: Issues and s a egies R.H. Lee, M.T. Bendixen and M.M. Su he land* G adua e School o Business Adminis a ion, Uni e si y o he Wi wa e s and, P.O. Box 98. Wi s 2050, Republic o Sou h A ica Recei ed 25 Ma ch 1991; accep ed 3 Ma ch 1992 Toe p i a e sec o in Sou h A ica has become inc easingly in�ol ed in he �ublic �licy p ocess, albei eluc��y. Bo h lhe le el o manage ial expe ise in lhis ield and lhe academic unde s anding o h1S p ocess a e ex emely lum ed. We ca ied ou an empi ical s udy on i y business leade s in Sou h A ica in o de lo de elop a sys ema ic unde s anding o he business communi y's in ol emen in public policy. In he i s s udy o i s kind, s a is ical analyses we e ca ied ou on bo h he p i a e sec o 's public policy issue p io i iza ion and s a egy selec ion and usage pa e ns. The p io i iza ion o selec ed s a egies e ealed ha he business communi y had adop ed a se o 'inside ' s a egies in o de o in luence he public policy p ocess, e lec ing a ' oenade ing' in he ela ionship be ween he business communi y and go e nmen . Toe di e si y wi hin he p i a e sec o , o bolh he p cx:ess and con en o public policy in ol emen , is empi ically documen ed ia he use o co espondence analysis, esul ing in he inhe en s uc u e o he p i a e sec o 's public policy in ol emen being well ep esen ed in wo dimensional space. The majo di e en ia ing ac o s being he choice be ween con on a ional o 'inside ' s a egies and he choice be ween economic o socio-poli ical issues. F om his basis, a s a egic managemen app oach owa ds socio-poli ical in ol emen o he business communi y is de eloped. This is based on he use o a ma ix inco po a ing aclo S such as change p ocesses, powe bases, issue li e cycles and esou ces wi hin business o ganiza ions; leading o he selec ion o app op ia e s a egies in o de lo in luence change in public policy. I is hoped ha his a icle will assis Sou h A ican managemen in he op imal allcx:a ion o esou ces o socio-poli ical ac i i ies. In Suid-A ika aak die p i aa sek o al hoe mee by die openba e beleidsp oses be okke, alhoewel die be okkenheid dikwels eesinnig is. Beide die lak an bes uu skundigheid op hie die gebied en die akademiese insig in hie die p oses is ui e s bepe k. Ons be 'n empi iese s udie onde y ig sakeleie s in Suid-A ika ui ge oe om s elselma ig 'n beg ip an die sakegemeenskap se be okkenheid by openba e beleid e on wikkel. In die ee s e s udie an die aa d is s a is iese on ledings gedoen an die ango dening an die p i aa sek o se beleidsake, asook geb uikspa one en s a egiekeuse. Die keuses ussen s a egie� he duidelik aange oon da die sakegemeenskap 'n s el 'binne' -s a egi� aangeneem he om 'n in loed op die openba e beleidsp oses e kan ui oe en. Oi is 'n eken an die oenade ing in die e houding ussen die sakegemeenskap en die ege ing. Die e skeidenheid binne die p i aa sek o , an beide p oses en inhoud an be okkenheid by openba e beleid, is empi ies gedokumen ee deu die geb uik an ko espondensie-analise. In die esul a e is die inhe en e s uk uu an die p i aa sek o se be okkenheid by openba e beleid goed in 'n wee dimensionele uim e oo ges el. Die ak o e wa hoo saaklik i di e ensiasie e an woo delik was, is die keuse ussen konl on asie o 'inside ' -s a egi� en die keuse ussen ekonomiese o sosio-poli iese sake. V ana hie die basis wo d 'n s a egiese bes uu sbenade ing o sosio-ekonomiese be okkenheid i die sakegemeenskap on wikkel. Di is op die geb uik an 'n ma iks gebasee ; wa ak o e inslui soos e ande insp osesse, magsbasisse, lewenssiklusse an sake, en hulpb onne binne sake-o ganisasies, wa lei o die keuse an oepaslike s a egiei! om e ande ing in openba e beleid e bein loed. Daa wo d gehoop da hie die a ikel Suid-A ikaanse bes uu slui sal help om hulpmiddels op die bes e moon like wyse aan sosio-poli iese bed ywighede oe e ken. *To whom all co espondence should be add essed. In oduc ion he yea s ha lie ahead ..... I is o u mos impo ance ha he cen ipe al o ces ou weigh he cen i ugal o ces in he ela ionship be ween he public and p i a e sec o s in his coun y'. Nelson Mandela said a he Consul a i e Business Mo emen Con e ence on 'Op ions o Building an Econo mic Fu u e' in May 1990 'You, as businessmen and women, ha e he obliga ion o engage in his p ocess. We us ha you will conside his ca e ully and e lec on he ques ion "Wha a e you p epa ed o do o you coun y?"'. The Sou h A ican business sec o has been in ol ed wi h public policy issues o o e a decade. The e has been a ma ked escala ion in his ac i i y in he las wo yea s which is e lec ed in he daily epo s o he popula p ess (Lee & Schlemme , 1991: 96). Howe e , li le empi ical wo k has been ca ied ou on his a ea o s a egic managemen and as a consequence he e is pal y e idence o wha cons i u es managemen expenise in his p ocess. The ole o business in public policy has been ecognised in e na ionally as a legi ima e a ea o ac i i y (Ryan, Swan son & Buchholz, 1987: 16-19; F ede ick, Da is & Pos , 1988: 18�208). In pa icula , Wilson ound a e an ex ensi e in e na ional compa a i e s udy ha , 'We a e li ing in an age o business poli ical o gani za ions in which employe s ou inely conce n hem sel es wi h poli ical issues' (1985: 140). In Sou h A ica he ole o business has been legi imized by bo h go e nmen i sel and black leade s. In his speech made a he Financial Mail's In es men Con e ence a he end o 1989, M F.W. de Kle k, he S a e P esiden , said, 'In The co-alignmen o business o ganiza ions wi h he poli ical ope a ing en i onmen (Zei haml, Keim & Baysinge , 1988: 377-393) is becoming a key ac o in s a egic busi ness managemen in his coun y. I was, hus, el impo an o documen he cu en p ac ices o he business commu ni y, in his ega d, and hen, om his knowledge, o de elop a model o op imizing business' in ol emen wi h public policy in Sou h A ica. The au ho s ca ied ou an empi ical s udy on i y busi ness leade s in Sou h A ica in o de o de elop a sys ema ic unde s anding o he business communi y's in ol emen in public policy. S a is ical analyses we e ca ied ou on bo h